It’s fair to say that most people have a basic idea of how an electric car works. A battery powers the motors, which then drive the wheels and that’s how the whole car moves forward. Once those batteries are depleted, they’re charged up so you can go out again.
But what people might not know is how you keep an electric vehicle serviced and maintained. Here, we’re going to take through some of the areas of servicing that an electric vehicle might need.
Tyres
Tyres are probably the most obvious area of maintenance on an electric vehicle. Quite often, EVs weigh more than their equivalent petrol or diesel-powered model and this, coupled with the high level of torque that a lot of battery models produce, means that they can wear through tyres more quickly.
A lot of electric vehicles come with a dual-motor setup - with all four wheels powered - and this can chew through rubber quickly as well. As always, make sure your tyres don’t go below the 1.6mm legal limit and make sure that you get them replaced if you notice and cuts or gashes in the sidewall.
Brakes
Electric vehicles use something called regenerative braking, which effectively reverses the electric motors when you’re slowing down to bring the car to a halt. Because of this, EVs wear through their conventional brakes far more slowly than a conventional car.
That said, you’ll still need to replace them if they wear out. It might be good to get them inspected from time to time too, as by using regenerative braking the ‘normal’ brakes can sometimes stick and prevent the car from travelling as efficiently as possible.
Coolant and fluids
You might not think it, but electric vehicles need coolant too. It’s used to keep the car’s battery at a consistent temperature and help it deal with big fluctuations in heat and cold. You’ll also sometimes find oil used in an electric vehicle’s gearbox - depending on the model - and this will also need topping up.
As with other aspects here, these fluids need changing and replacing far less regularly than on a regular car.
Suspension
Naturally, an electric vehicle still has a full suspension system and this will need regular checking. If you hit a particularly large pothole in an electric vehicle it’s still worth having the suspension looked at and this is certainly the case if you notice that the car isn’t travelling perfectly straight when the wheel is dead-ahead.
It’s likely that the suspension will be checked over during regular servicing, but as with all vehicles, it’s worth having it looked at if you have any concerns.
What about service schedules and warranties?
Even though they don’t need as much mechanical looking-after as a petrol or diesel car, all EVs will still have a servicing schedule issued by the manufacturer. Volkswagen’s ID range of electric vehicles, for instance, comes with a recommended two-year servicing schedule and that’s without a mileage limit.
If you’re looking at purchasing an electric vehicle then it’s a good idea to see what kind of servicing schedule it has.